Sea Monster Animation

*What are Sea Monster?
Sea Monster are crustaceans that are also called Dinosaur shrimp that look like miniature horseshoe crabs. They have a short life-cycle of 20 to 90 days - growing very quickly in this time to about 2 inches in length !

*Where do Sea Monster come from?
The Sea Monster we sell are especially bred in America for us. Sea Monster in the wild exist in temporary ponds all over the world (except Antarctica)!

*What do they eat?
Sea Monster eat anything in the tank that's smaller than them - and that includes other Sea Monster (they are cannibalistic)! They are omnivorous (they eat plants and meat) and will eat smaller shrimp, algae, insects and fish food!

*Are they really Dinosaurs?
Fossils of Sea Monster have been found that show they were on the earth around 200 million years BC. The unusual thing is that Sea Monster haven't really changed in all those years !

*How did they survive when the Dinosaurs died?
Sea Monster survived because their eggs exist in a state of dia-pause (suspended animation) until they are added to water - scientists think that this is what helped the Sea Monster survive the extreme temperatures and long droughts that existed at that time.

*Will they reproduce?
Yes. Sea Monster are capable of hermaphroditic reproduction, which means that they don't need a partner - each Sea Monster can lay eggs which will hatch once they have been dried out and added to water again !

*How long will the eggs keep for?
The eggs will remain in a state of suspended animation (dia-pause) for up to twenty years.

*Can I put them in with my Fish?
Probably not a good idea - remember, Sea Monster are predators. One day you'd come back to the tank to find no Fish and a BIG Sea Monster !

*Why do they need to be near a lamp?
Sea Monster need to be kept at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the lamp makes sure the water is warm enough.

*They have changed color!
That's right they start life as very small orange specks as they grow they will change to red. This is due to the hemoglobin in their blood. As they grow even more they change a brown-grey color, this is due to the carapace forming (protective shell).

*What are all these ghostly Sea Monster forms on the bottom of my tank ?
To aid their rapid growth Sea Monster shed their exoskeletons.

*What is thing that comes in Sea Monster Magic Sand?
It is detritus containing the microscopic eggs as well as helpful bacteria and food to help the Sea Monster survive in their new environment.

*The water is dirty can I clean it out?
Changing Sea Monster environment is always risky, if you really must swap the water then at the very most only replace half and make sure the new water is at the same temperature as water in the tank

*Can I use a bigger tank?
Yes BUT we have had problems if the tank is too big (A 3 foot aquarium for example) we think this is due to the fact there isn't enough food available in such a large space for the Sea Monster. If you are upgrading tanks it is best to do it with a new batch of eggs rather than upsetting your existing pets.

*They haven't hatched!
Don't worry. In cooler conditions they make take up to two weeks to hatch. Try putting them under a desk light to get the temperature up.